Bodily emission analysis

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods are described for use with a bodily emission of a subject that is disposed within a toilet bowl. While the bodily emission is disposed within the toilet bowl, light is received from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors. Using a computer processor, one or more spectral components within the received light that are indicative of light absorption by a component of erythrocytes are detected, by analyzing the received light. In response thereto, the computer processor determines that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emission. The computer processor generates an output on an output device, at least partially in response thereto. Other applications are also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/553,366 to Attar, filed Aug. 24, 2017 (published as US2018/0085098), which is the US national phase of Internationalapplication PCT/IL2016/050223 to Attar (published as WO 16/135735),filed Feb. 25, 2016, entitled “Bodily emission analysis,” which claimspriority from U.S. Provisional Application 62/120,639 to Attar, filedFeb. 25, 2015, entitled “Apparatus and method for the remote sensing ofblood in an ex-vivo biological sample.”

The above-referenced US Provisional application is incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Some applications of the present invention generally relate to analysisof bodily emissions. Specifically, some applications of the presentinvention relate to apparatus and methods for detecting blood in bodilyemission, such as urine and feces.

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the development of cancer in portions of the largeintestine, such as the colon or rectum. Detection of blood in feces isused as a screening tool for colorectal cancer. However, the blood isoften occult blood, i.e., blood that is not visible. The stool guaiactest is one of several methods that detect the presence of blood infeces, even in cases in which the blood is not visible. A fecal sampleis placed on a specially prepared type of paper, called guaiac paper,and hydrogen peroxide is applied. In the presence of blood, a blue colorappears on the paper. A patient who is suspected of suffering fromcolorectal cancer will typically be assessed using a colonoscopy,sigmoidoscopy, and/or external imaging techniques, such as CT, PET,and/or MRI.

Bladder cancer is a condition in which cancerous cells multiply withinthe epithelial lining of the urinary bladder. Detection of blood inurine can be useful in screening for bladder cancer. Techniques fordetecting blood include placing a test strip that contains certainchemicals into sample of the urine and detecting a color change of thetest strip.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with some applications of the present invention, a bodilyemission of a subject that is disposed within a toilet bowl (such asfeces or urine) is analyzed automatically. Typically, while the bodilyemission is disposed within the toilet bowl, light (which is reflectedfrom the contents of the toilet bowl) is received from the toilet bowlusing one or more light sensors, for example, one or more cameras. Usinga computer processor, one or more spectral components within thereceived light that are indicative of light absorption by a component oferythrocytes are detected, by analyzing the received light (e.g., byperforming spectral analysis on the received light). In responsethereto, the computer processor determines that there is a presence ofblood within the bodily emission. The computer processor typicallygenerates an output on an output device (such as a phone, tablet device,or personal computer), at least partially in response thereto. For someapplications, the output device includes an output component (such as alight (e.g., an LED) or a screen) that is built into the device.Typically, subsequent to the subject emitting the bodily emission intothe toilet bowl, the above-described steps are performed withoutrequiring any action to be performed by any person. Thus, for example,the subject is not required to add anything to the toilet bowl in orderto facilitate the determination of whether there is blood in theemission.

For some applications, the apparatus analyzes and logs the results ofmultiple bodily emissions of the subject over an extended period oftime, e.g., over more than one week, or more than one month. Typically,in this manner, the apparatus is configured to screen for the presenceof early stage cancer and/or polyps, which characteristically bleed onlyintermittently. For some applications, the apparatus compares the amountof blood that is detected in bodily emissions (e.g., feces), over aperiod of time, to a threshold amount.

There is therefore provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, a method for use with a bodily emission of a subjectthat is disposed within a toilet bowl, the method including:

while the bodily emission is disposed within the toilet bowl, receivinglight from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors;

using a computer processor:

-   -   detecting one or more spectral components within the received        light that are indicative of light absorption by a component of        erythrocytes, by analyzing the received light;    -   in response thereto, determining that there is a presence of        blood within the bodily emission; and    -   generating an output on an output device, at least partially in        response thereto.

In some applications, the bodily emission includes feces, anddetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionincludes determining that there is a presence of blood within the feces.In some applications, the bodily emission includes urine, anddetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionincludes determining that there is a presence of blood within the urine.

In some applications, the method further includes logging data regardingblood in a plurality of bodily emissions of the subject, and generatingthe output includes generating an output in response to the logged data.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving one or more images from the toiletbowl using one or more cameras, and detecting one or more spectralcomponents within the received light includes identifying spectralcomponents within respective portions of the bodily emission, byanalyzing a plurality of respective pixels within the one or more imageson an individual basis.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes, subsequent to the subject emitting thebodily emission into the toilet bowl, receiving the light from thetoilet bowl using one or more light sensors, without requiring anyaction to be performed by any person subsequent to the emission.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving light from the toilet bowl using aspectrometer. In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowlusing one or more light sensors includes receiving light from the toiletbowl using one or more monochrome cameras. In some applications,receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensorsincludes receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more colorcameras. In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowlusing one or more light sensors includes receiving light from the toiletbowl using one or more monochrome cameras, and using one or more colorcameras.

In some applications, the method further includes, in response todetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodilyemission, requesting an input from the subject that is indicative of asource of the blood.

In some applications, detecting the one or more spectral componentswithin the received light that are indicative of light absorption by acomponent of erythrocytes includes detecting one or more spectralcomponents within the received light that are indicative of lightabsorption by a component of erythrocytes, the component being selectedfrom the group consisting of: hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin,and heme.

In some applications, the method further includes detecting one or morespectral components within the received light that are indicative oflight absorption by a bodily emission selected from the group consistingof: feces and urine.

In some applications, the method further includes illuminating theemission within the toilet bowl, and receiving the light includesreceiving reflected light resulting from the illumination. In someapplications, illuminating the emission within the toilet bowl includesilluminating the emission within the toilet bowl using white light. Insome applications, illuminating the emission within the toilet bowlincludes illuminating the emission within the toilet bowl with light atone or more spectral bands.

In some applications, detecting the one or more spectral componentsincludes detecting one or more spectral bands that are centered around awavelength that is within a range of 530 nm to 785 nm. In someapplications, detecting the one or more spectral components includesdetecting one or more spectral bands that are centered around anapproximate wavelength selected from the group consisting of: 540 nm,565 nm, and 575 nm. In some applications, detecting the one or morespectral bands includes detecting one or more spectral bands having abandwidth of less than 40 nm.

In some applications, detecting the one or more spectral bands includesdetecting at least two of the spectral bands, the method furtherincluding determining a relationship between intensities of respectivespectral bands of the at least two spectral bands, and determining thatthere is a presence of blood within the bodily emission includesdetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionat least partially based upon the determined relationship.

In some applications, determining the relationship between intensitiesof respective spectral bands of the at least two spectral bandsincludes:

determining a first ratio between an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 575 nm; and

determining a second ratio between an intensity of the band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 540 nm.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving light from the toilet bowl using amultispectral camera. In some applications, analyzing the received lightincludes generating a hypercube of data that contains two spatialdimensions and one wavelength dimension.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, apparatus for use with a bodily emission of a subjectthat is disposed within a toilet bowl, and an output device, theapparatus including:

one or more light sensors that are configured to receive light from thetoilet bowl, while the bodily emission is disposed within the toiletbowl; and

a computer processor configured to:

-   -   detect one or more spectral components within the received light        that indicate light absorption by a component of erythrocytes,        by analyzing the received light;    -   in response thereto, determining that there is a presence of        blood within the bodily emission; and    -   generating an output on the output device, at least partially in        response thereto.

In some applications, the bodily emission includes feces, and thecomputer processor is configured to determine that there is a presenceof blood within the bodily emission by determining that there is apresence of blood within the feces. In some applications, the bodilyemission includes urine, and the computer processor is configured todetermine that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionby determining that there is a presence of blood within the urine.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to log dataregarding blood in a plurality of bodily emissions of the subject, andto generate the output in response to the logged data.

In some applications, the one or more light sensors include one or morecameras configured to acquire one or more images of the bodily emission,and the computer processor is configured to detect the one or morespectral components within the received light by identifying spectralcomponents within respective portions of the bodily emission, byanalyzing a plurality of respective pixels within the one or more imageson an individual basis.

In some applications, subsequent to the subject emitting the bodilyemission into the toilet bowl, the one or more light sensors areconfigured to receive the light from the toilet bowl, without requiringany action to be performed by any person subsequent to the emission.

In some applications, the one or more light sensors include aspectrometer. In some applications, the one or more light sensorsinclude one or more monochrome cameras.

In some applications, the one or more light sensors include one or morecolor cameras. In some applications, the one or more light sensorsinclude one or more color cameras and one or more monochrome cameras.

In some applications, in response to determining that there is apresence of blood within the bodily emission, the computer processor isconfigured to request an input from the subject that is indicative of asource of the blood.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect oneor more spectral components within the received light that indicatelight absorption by a component of erythrocytes, by detecting one ormore spectral components within the received light that are indicativeof light absorption by a component of erythrocytes, the component beingselected from the group consisting of: hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin,methemoglobin, and heme.

In some applications, the computer processor is further configured todetect one or more spectral components within the received light thatare indicative of light absorption by a bodily emission selected fromthe group consisting of: feces and urine.

In some applications, the apparatus further includes a light sourceconfigured to illuminate the emission within the toilet bowl, the one ormore light sensors are configured to receive reflected light resultingfrom the illumination. In some applications, the light source isconfigured to illuminate the emission within the toilet bowl using whitelight.

In some applications, the light source is configured to illuminate theemission within the toilet bowl using light at one or more spectralbands.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect theone or more spectral components by detecting one or more spectral bandsthat are centered around a wavelength that is within a range of 530 nmto 785 nm. In some applications, the computer processor is configured todetect the one or more spectral components by detecting one or morespectral bands that are centered around an approximate wavelengthselected from the group consisting of: 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm. Insome applications, the computer processor is configured to detect theone or more spectral components by detecting one or more spectral bandshaving a bandwidth of less than 40 nm.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to:

detect at least two of the spectral bands,

determine a relationship between intensities of respective spectralbands of the at least two spectral bands, and

determine that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionby determining that there is a presence of blood within the bodilyemission at least partially based upon the determined relationship.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to determinethe relationship between intensities of respective spectral bands of theat least two spectral bands by:

determining a first ratio between an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 575 nm; and

determining a second ratio between an intensity of the band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 540 nm.

In some applications, the one or more light sensors include amultispectral camera. In some applications, the computer processor isconfigured to analyze the received light by generating a hypercube ofdata that contains two spatial dimensions and one wavelength dimension.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, a method including:

subsequent to a subject emitting a bodily emission into a toilet bowl,and without requiring any action to be performed by any personsubsequent to the emission:

-   -   receiving light from the toilet bowl, using one or more light        sensors; and    -   using a computer processor:        -   analyzing the received light;        -   in response thereto, determining that there is a presence of            blood within the bodily emission; and        -   generating an output on an output device, at least partially            in response thereto.

In some applications, the bodily emission includes feces, anddetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionincludes determining that there is a presence of blood within the feces.In some applications, the bodily emission includes urine, anddetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionincludes determining that there is a presence of blood within the urine.

In some applications, the method further includes logging data regardingblood in a plurality of bodily emissions of the subject, and generatingthe output includes generating an output in response to the logged data.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving one or more images from the toiletbowl using one or more cameras, and analyzing the received lightincludes detecting one or more spectral components within the receivedlight by identifying spectral components within respective portions ofthe bodily emission, by analyzing a plurality of respective pixelswithin the one or more images on an individual basis.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving light from the toilet bowl using aspectrometer. In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowlusing one or more light sensors includes receiving light from the toiletbowl using one or more monochrome cameras. In some applications,receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensorsincludes receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more colorcameras. In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowlusing one or more light sensors includes receiving light from the toiletbowl using one or more monochrome cameras, and using one or more colorcameras.

In some applications, the method further includes, in response todetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodilyemission, requesting an input from the subject that is indicative of asource of the blood.

In some applications, the method further includes illuminating theemission within the toilet bowl, receiving the light includes receivingreflected light resulting from the illuminating. In some applications,illuminating the emission within the toilet bowl includes illuminatingthe emission within the toilet bowl using white light. In someapplications, illuminating the emission within the toilet bowl includesilluminating the emission within the toilet bowl with light at one ormore spectral bands.

In some applications, analyzing the received light includes detectingone or more spectral components within the received light that indicatelight absorption by a component of erythrocytes. In some applications,detecting the one or more spectral components within the received lightthat are indicative of light absorption by a component of erythrocytesincludes detecting one or more spectral components within the receivedlight that are indicative of light absorption by a component oferythrocytes, the component being selected from the group consisting of:hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, and heme.

In some applications, the method further includes detecting one or morespectral components within the received light that are indicative oflight absorption by a bodily emission selected from the group consistingof: feces and urine.

In some applications, detecting the one or more spectral componentsincludes detecting one or more spectral bands that are centered around awavelength that is within a range of 530 nm to 785 nm. In someapplications, detecting the one or more spectral components includesdetecting one or more spectral bands that are centered around anapproximate wavelength selected from the group consisting of: 540 nm,565 nm, and 575 nm. In some applications, detecting the one or morespectral bands includes detecting one or more spectral bands having abandwidth of less than 40 nm.

In some applications, detecting the one or more spectral bands includesdetecting at least two of the spectral bands, the method furtherincluding determining a relationship between intensities of respectivespectral bands of the at least two spectral bands, and determining thatthere is a presence of blood within the bodily emission includesdetermining that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionat least partially based upon the determined relationship.

In some applications, determining the relationship between intensitiesof respective spectral bands of the at least two spectral bandsincludes:

determining a first ratio between an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 575 nm; and

determining a second ratio between an intensity of the band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 540 nm.

In some applications, receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors includes receiving light from the toilet bowl using amultispectral camera. In some applications, analyzing the received lightincludes generating a hypercube of data that contains two spatialdimensions and one wavelength dimension.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, apparatus for use with a bodily emission of a subjectthat is disposed within a toilet bowl, and an output device, theapparatus including:

one or more cameras that are configured to receive one or more imagesfrom the toilet bowl, while the bodily emission is disposed within thetoilet bowl; and

a computer processor configured to:

-   -   detect spectral components within respective portions of the        bodily emission, by analyzing a plurality of respective pixels        within the one or more images on an individual basis;    -   in response thereto, determining that there is a presence of        blood within the bodily emission; and    -   generating an output on the output device, at least partially in        response thereto.

In some applications, the bodily emission includes feces, and thecomputer processor is configured to determine that there is a presenceof blood within the bodily emission by determining that there is apresence of blood within the feces. In some applications, the bodilyemission includes urine, and the computer processor is configured todetermine that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionby determining that there is a presence of blood within the urine.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to log dataregarding blood in a plurality of bodily emissions of the subject, andto generate the output in response to the logged data.

In some applications, subsequent to the subject emitting the bodilyemission into the toilet bowl, the one or more light sensors areconfigured to receive the light from the toilet bowl, without requiringany action to be performed by any person subsequent to the emission.

In some applications, the one or more cameras include one or moremonochrome cameras. In some applications, the one or more camerasinclude one or more color cameras. In some applications, the one or morecameras include one or more color cameras and one or more monochromecameras.

In some applications, in response to determining that there is apresence of blood within the bodily emission, the computer processor isconfigured to request an input from the subject that is indicative of asource of the blood.

In some applications, the apparatus further includes a light sourceconfigured to illuminate the emission within the toilet bowl, the one ormore cameras are configured to receive reflected light resulting fromthe illumination. In some applications, the light source is configuredto illuminate the emission within the toilet bowl using white light. Insome applications, the light source is configured to illuminate theemission within the toilet bowl using light at one or more spectralbands.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detectspectral components within respective portions of the bodily emission bydetecting one or more spectral components of respective pixels thatindicate light absorption by a component of erythrocytes. In someapplications, the computer processor is configured to detect one or morespectral components of the respective pixels that indicate lightabsorption by a component of erythrocytes, by detecting one or morespectral components of the respective pixels that are indicative oflight absorption by a component of erythrocytes, the component beingselected from the group consisting of: hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin,methemoglobin, and heme.

In some applications, the computer processor is further configured todetect one or more spectral components of the respective pixels that areindicative of light absorption by a bodily emission selected from thegroup consisting of: feces and urine.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect theone or more spectral components by detecting one or more spectral bandsthat are centered around a wavelength that is within a range of 530 nmto 785 nm. In some applications, the computer processor is configured todetect the one or more spectral components by detecting one or morespectral bands that are centered around an approximate wavelengthselected from the group consisting of: 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm. Insome applications, the computer processor is configured to detect theone or more spectral components by detecting one or more spectral bandshaving a bandwidth of less than 40 nm.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to:

detect at least two of the spectral bands,

determine a relationship between intensities of respective spectralbands of the at least two spectral bands, and

determine that there is a presence of blood within the bodily emissionby determining that there is a presence of blood within the bodilyemission at least partially based upon the determined relationship.

In some applications, the computer processor is configured to determinethe relationship between intensities of respective spectral bands of theat least two spectral bands by:

determining a first ratio between an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 575 nm; and

determining a second ratio between an intensity of the band that iscentered around approximately 565 nm to an intensity of a band that iscentered around approximately 540 nm.

In some applications, the one or more cameras include a multispectralcamera. In some applications, the computer processor is configured toanalyze the plurality of respective pixels within the one or more imageson an individual basis by generating a hypercube of data that containstwo spatial dimensions and one wavelength dimension.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, a method for use with a bodily emission of a subjectthat is disposed within a toilet bowl, the method including:

while the bodily emission is disposed within the toilet bowl, receivingone or more images from the toilet bowl using one or more cameras;

using a computer processor:

-   -   detecting spectral components within respective portions of the        bodily emission, by analyzing a plurality of respective pixels        within the one or more images on an individual basis;    -   in response thereto, determining that there is a presence of        blood within the bodily emission; and    -   generating an output on an output device, at least partially in        response thereto.

There is further provided, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention, a method including:

subsequent to a subject emitting a bodily emission into a toilet bowl,and without requiring any action to be performed by any personsubsequent to the emission:

-   -   receiving light from the toilet bowl, using one or more light        sensors; and    -   storing data relating to the received light in a memory.

The present invention will be more fully understood from the followingdetailed description of embodiments thereof, taken together with thedrawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of apparatus for analyzing a bodilyemission, in accordance with some applications of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates components of asensor module, in accordance with some applications of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3A-B are schematic illustrations of components of an imagingcomponent of the sensor module, in accordance with respectiveapplications of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing spectrograms that were recorded from stoolsamples, in accordance with some applications of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bar-chart showing aspects of spectral components that wererecorded from respective samples, during an experiment conducted inaccordance with some applications of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the results of an experiment that wasperformed, in accordance with some applications of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing steps that are performed, in accordancewith some applications of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is a schematic illustration ofapparatus 20 for analyzing a bodily emission, in accordance with someapplications of the present invention. As shown, apparatus 20 typicallyincludes a sensor module 22, which is placed inside a toilet bowl 23.The sensor module includes an imaging component 24, which in turnincludes one or more light sensors that are configured to receive lightfrom bodily emissions (typically, urine or feces 26) that were emittedby the subject and are disposed inside the toilet bowl. For example, thelight sensors may include a spectrometer, or may include one or morecameras, as described in further detail hereinbelow. A computerprocessor analyzes the received light, and determines whether there is apresence of blood inside the bodily emission. Typically, the computerprocessor detects one or more spectral components within the receivedlight that are indicative of light absorption by a component oferythrocytes, by analyzing the received light (e.g., by performingspectral analysis on the received light). (Such spectral components maybe referred to herein as a blood signature, since certain combinationsof such components, as described herein, are indicative of the presenceof blood.) Further typically, the steps of receiving light, analyzingthe received light, and determining whether there is a presence of bloodinside the bodily emission are performed without requiring any action tobe performed by any person (e.g., the user, a caregiver, or a healthcareprofessional) subsequent to the subject emitting the bodily emissioninto the toilet bowl.

For some applications, apparatus 20 includes a power source 28 (e.g., abattery pack), that is disposed outside the toilet bowl inside a housing30, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor moduleis connected to mains electricity (not shown). Typically, the powersource and sensor module 22 are connected wiredly (as shown), orwirelessly (not shown). In accordance with respective applications, thecomputer processor that performs the above described analysis isdisposed inside the toilet bowel (e.g., inside the same housing as thesensor module), inside housing 30, or remotely. For example, as shown,the sensor module may communicate wirelessly with a user interfacedevice 32 that includes a computer processor. Such a user interfacedevice may include, but is not limited to, a phone 34, a tablet computer36, a laptop computer 38, or a different sort of personal computingdevice. The user interface device typically acts as both an input deviceand an output device, via which the user interacts with sensor module22. The sensor module may transmit data to the user interface device andthe user interface device computer processor may run a program that isconfigured to analyze the light received by the imaging module and tothereby detect whether there is a presence of blood inside the subject'sbodily emission.

For some applications, sensor module 22 and/or the user interface devicecommunicates with a remote server. For example, the apparatus maycommunicate with a physician or an insurance company over acommunication network without intervention from the patient. Thephysician or the insurance company may evaluate the results anddetermine whether further testing or intervention is appropriate for thepatient. For some applications, data relating to the received light arestored in a memory (such as memory 46 described hereinbelow). Forexample, the memory may be disposed inside the toilet bowel (e.g.,inside the sensor unit), inside housing 30, or remotely. Periodically,the subject may submit the stored data to a facility, such as ahealthcare facility (e.g., a physician's office, or a pharmacy) or aninsurance company, and a computer processor at the facility may thenperform the above-described analysis on a batch of data relating to aplurality of bodily emissions of the subject that were acquired over aperiod of time.

It is noted that the apparatus and methods described herein include ascreening test in which the subject is not required to physically touchthe bodily emission. Furthermore, the subject is typically only requiredto touch any portion of the dedicated sensing apparatus periodically,for example, in order to install the device, or to change the devicebatteries. (It is noted that the subject may handle the user interfacedevice, but this is typically a device (such as a phone) that subjecthandles even when not using the sensing apparatus.) Further typically,the apparatus and methods described herein do not require addinganything to the toilet bowl subsequent to the subject emitting a bodilyemission into the toilet bowl, in order to facilitate the spectralanalysis of the emission, and/or a determination that the emissioncontains blood. For some applications, the subject is not required toperform any action after installation of the apparatus in the toiletbowl. The testing is automatic and handled by the apparatus, andmonitoring of the subject's emissions is seamless to the subject anddoes not require compliance by the subject, so long no abnormality isdetected.

Typically, subsequent to the subject emitting a bodily emission into thetoilet bowl, the bodily emission is imaged by receiving reflected lightfrom the toilet bowl, without requiring any action to be performed byany person subsequent to the emission. Further typically, the computerprocessor (a) analyzes (e.g., spectrally analyzes) the received light,(b) in response thereto, determines whether that there is a presence ofblood within the bodily emission, and (c) generates an output at leastpartially in response thereto, all without requiring any action to beperformed by any person subsequent to the emission. It is noted that forsome applications, an input is requested from the subject, via the userinterface device, if an indication of the presence of blood in thebodily emission is detected, as described in further detail hereinbelow.However, even for such applications, it is determined that there is apresence of blood based upon the automatic spectral analysis, and theuser input is used in order to determine the source of the blood, and/orto determine whether or not the source of the blood is a cause forconcern.

For some applications, for each emission of the subject, in the case ofpositive signal, the apparatus reports the finding to the patient via anoutput device, e.g., via user interface device 32. For someapplications, the output device includes an output component (such as alight (e.g., an LED) or a screen) that is built into apparatus 20. Forsome applications, if the analysis of the bodily emission indicates thatthere is blood present inside the emission, the computer processordrives the user interface to request an input from the subject, byasking the user some verification questions. For example, the userinterface device may ask the user “Did you eat red meat in the 24 hoursprior to your recent stool emission?” since red meat consumption maycause a false positive due to the meat containing blood. Alternativelyor additionally, the user interface device may ask the user “Have youused aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs?” since theintake of such drugs has been shown to cause bleeding in the stomach orgastrointestinal tract of susceptible individuals. For someapplications, the data are analyzed locally but the results aretransmitted to the healthcare provider or to insurance carrier over anetwork connection.

For some applications, the apparatus monitors bodily emissions of thesubject over an extended period of time, e.g., over more than one week,or more than one month. Typically, in this manner, the apparatus isconfigured to screen for the presence of malignancies and/or polyps,which characteristically bleed only intermittently. For someapplications, the apparatus compares the amount of blood that isdetected in bodily emissions (e.g., feces), over a period of time, to athreshold amount. It is known that there is a level of normal,physiologic, non-pathogenic gastro-intestinal bleeding, which has beenestimated as averaging less than 2 ml/day. Intestinal bleeding that isgreater than 2 ml/day is considered abnormal. (It is noted that theprecise amount that is considered abnormal may differ for each person,depending, for example, on age and sex. Thus, for example, for maturewomen, normal blood concentration in stool may be considered to be below64 microgram/gram, whereas for mature males anything above 20microgram/gram may be considered abnormal.) Therefore, for someapplications, the threshold is calibrated to enhance specificity of thesensing, such that alerts will not be generated if the level of bleedingis consistent with normal, physiologic, non-pathogenic gastro-intestinalbleeding, but will generate an alert, if, for example, the level ofbleeding is indicative of the presence of cancer and/or polyps.

For some applications, the computer processor which analyzes thereceived light utilizes machine learning techniques, such as anomalydetection and/or outlier detection. For example, the computer processormay be configured to perform individualized anomaly detection or outlierdetection that learns the patterns of output signals from each subjectand detects abnormal changes in the characteristic blood signature ofthe subject. As described hereinabove, for some applications, thecomputer processor that performs the analysis is remote from and/orseparate from the sensor module. For some applications, the sensormodule is disposable, but even after disposal of the sensor module thecomputer processor has access to historic data relating to the subject,such that the historic data can be utilized in the machine learningtechniques.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram thatschematically illustrates components of sensor module 22, in accordancewith some applications of the present invention. As describedhereinabove, sensor module is typically disposed inside a toilet bowl.Further typically, the sensor module includes an imaging component,which in turn includes one or more light sensors that are configured toreceive light from bodily emissions that were emitted by the subject andare disposed inside the toilet bowl. The imaging component is describedin further detail hereinbelow, with reference to FIGS. 3A-B. Typically,the sensor module is housed in a water-resistant housing. Furthertypically, the face of the sensor module underneath which the imagingcomponent is mounted is covered with a transparent, water-resistantcover. It is noted that FIG. 1 shows the sensor module disposed abovethe water level of the water within the toilet bowl. However, for someapplications, at least a portion of the sensor module (e.g., the entiresensor module) is submerged within the water in the toilet bowl.

For some applications, the sensor module includes a subject sensor 40.The subject sensor is configured to detect when a subject is on or inthe vicinity of the toilet, and/or if the subject has defecated and/orurinated into the toilet bowl. For example, the subject sensor mayinclude a motion sensor, configured to sense the motion of feces, urine,the subject, or the water in the toilet bowl. Alternatively oradditionally, the subject sensor may include a light sensor configuredto detect when the light in the bathroom is switched on, or when thesubject sits on the toilet. For some applications, the light sensorsthat are used for detecting light from the bodily emission are also usedfor the aforementioned function. For some such applications, the sensormodule is configured to be in standby mode most of the time (such thatthe sensor module uses a reduced amount of power). The sensor module isswitched on in response to detecting that the subject is on or in thevicinity of the toilet, and/or that the subject has defecated and/orurinated into the toilet bowl. Typically, the imaging component of thesensor module acquires images in response to detecting that the subjectis on or in the vicinity of the toilet, and/or that the subject hasdefecated and/or urinated into the toilet bowl. For some applications,the subject switches on the sensor module manually.

For some applications, the sensor module includes a vibrating component42 that is typically configured to vibrate feces that is inside thetoilet bowl. The vibrating element may include an ultrasonic vibrator, amechanical element that is moved by a motor, and/or a pump configured toemit jets of water. The vibrating element is typically configured tobreak feces into smaller pieces such that blood that is disposed insidethe piece of feces becomes visible to the imaging component. It is notedthat, for some applications, the vibrating component is disposed in thetoilet bowl separately from the sensor module. For some applications, avibrating component is not used, but apparatus 20 is able to determinewhether there is blood present in feces to a sufficient level ofspecificity, due to the feces breaking upon falling into the toilet bowland impacting the toilet bowl.

Typically, the sensor module includes a computer processor 44, a memory46, and a communication module 48. Computer processor 44 is configuredto drive the imaging component to perform the functions describedherein. For some applications, the computer processor is furtherconfigured to perform the analysis functions described herein. For suchapplications, computer processor 44 typically communicates the resultsof the analysis (e.g., a positive detection of blood in feces) to aremote device, such as user interface device 32 (FIG. 1), viacommunication module 48. Alternatively, as described hereinabove, theanalysis of the received light may be performed by a remote computerprocessor, e.g., a computer processor that is part of the user interfacedevice. For such applications, computer processor 44 typicallycommunicates raw imaging data, and/or light signals to the remotecomputer processor, via communication module 48. For some applicationscomputer processor stores data in memory 46. The data may include rawdata, which may subsequently be retrieved and analyzed, and/or theresults of the spectral analysis of the light received by the imagingcomponent. Memory 46 may include a memory card, such as an SD card thatcan be physically removed. Communication module is typically configuredto communicate with external devices (e.g., user interface device 32)using known protocols, such as Wifi, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, or any nearfield communication (NFC) protocol.

For some applications, sensor module 22 includes an indicator 50, e.g.,a visual indicator (such as an LED light), or an audio indicator (forexample, a speaker that is configured to emit a beep), the indicatorbeing configured to indicate to the subject when a sample has beensuccessfully imaged, and/or when data has been successfully transmittedto a remote device, such as user interface device 32. It is noted that,although not shown, the indicator typically interacts with othercomponents of the sensor module such as the computer processor and/orthe communication module.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3A-B are schematic illustrations ofcomponents of imaging component 24, in accordance with respectiveapplications of the present invention. Imaging component 24 is typicallydisposed on a face of sensor module 22 that faces toward the water inthe toilet bowl. FIGS. 3A-B are schematic illustrations of theaforementioned face of the sensor module.

As described in further detail hereinbelow, typically in order to detecta blood signature within a bodily emission, particular spectral bandswithin light that is reflected from the bodily emission are detected.Typically, the spectral bands are centered around a wavelength that isin the range of 530 nm to 785 nm. Further typically, two or morespectral bands are detected that are centered around approximately 540nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm. The widths of the spectral bands are typicallygreater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm, or greater than 8 nm),and/or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm, or 12 nm), e.g., between3 and 40 nm, between 5 and 20 nm or between 8 and 12 nm. A spectral bandthat is described herein as being centered around approximately a givenspectral value should be interpreted as including a spectral bandcentered around the given value plus/minus 5 nm.

Referring to FIG. 3A, for some applications, imaging component 24 ofsensor module 22 includes a light source 68 (e.g., an LED light emitter,or a different type of light) that emits white light. In addition, theimaging module includes two or more cameras, which act as light sensors.The two or more cameras may include a color camera 60, and/or amonochrome camera that includes a filter such as to detect a first oneof the above-described spectral bands (camera 62), a second one of theabove-described spectral bands (camera 64), and/or a third one of theabove-described spectral bands (camera 66). The cameras act as lightsensors of apparatus 20, and the light source acts to illuminate thetoilet bowl and the bodily emission. For some applications, all fourcameras are used in the imaging component.

For some applications, the computer processor of apparatus 20 isconfigured to identify spectral components within respective portions ofthe bodily emission, by analyzing respective pixels within the imagesacquired by the cameras, on an individual basis. In order to identifythe spectral components of a given portion of the bodily emission, thecomputer processor determines a correspondence between pixels of imagesthat were acquired by respective cameras. Typically, irrespective of howmany cameras are used, all of the cameras are disposed in closeproximity to one another, e.g., such that all of the cameras aredisposed within an area of less than 10 square centimeters (e.g., anarea of less than 5 square centimeters, or an area of less than 1 squarecentimeter). For some applications, using cameras that are disposed inclose proximity to one another facilitates determining thecorrespondence between pixels of images that were acquired by respectivecameras.

Referring to FIG. 3B, for some applications, imaging component 24 ofsensor module 22 includes color camera 60, and includes two or more alight sources (e.g., LED lights or other types of lights) that emitlight at respective spectral bands. The two or more light sourcestypically include light source 68 (which as described with reference toFIG. 3A is configured to emit white light) and/or light sources that areconfigured to emit light at a first one of the above-described spectralbands (light source 72), a second one of the above-described spectralbands (light source 74), and/or a third one of the above-describedspectral bands (light source 76). For some applications, narrowbandfilters are mounted upon one or more of the light sources. The cameraacts as a light sensor of apparatus 20, and the light sources act toilluminate the toilet bowl and the bodily emission. For someapplications, all four light sources are used in the imaging component.

It is noted that for some applications, the imaging component does notinclude a light source, and the light sensors of the imaging component(e.g., the cameras) rely upon ambient light. Alternatively, the lightsource and the light sensors of the imaging component may be disposed ondifferent sides of the toilet bowl from one another. For someapplications, rather than using one or more cameras, which areconfigured to detect light on a pixel-by-pixel basis, a spectrometer isused to detect the overall spectrum of light that is reflected from thebodily emission, and to analyze the reflected light.

For some applications, color camera 60 is a multispectral camera or ahyperspectral camera. For example, a hyperspectral camera may be used toacquire images of a bodily emission, and the computer processor mayanalyze the data by generating a hypercube of data that contains twospatial dimensions and one wavelength dimension. The computer processormay determine whether or not there is blood in the bodily emission, byanalyzing the hypercube.

It is further noted that the particular arrangements of light sourcesand light sensors shown in FIGS. 3A-B are examples, and the scope of thepresent invention includes using alternative or additional arrangementsof light sources and/or light detectors. For example, more or fewer thanfour light sources and/or light sensors may be used. Similarly, thelight sources and/or light sensors may be arranged in a differentconfiguration to those shown in FIGS. 3A-B. The scope of the presentinvention includes using any combination of light sensors and lightsources, arranged in any configuration that would facilitatemeasurements as described herein being performed.

Typically, the light sensors of imaging component 24 of the sensormodule 22 acquire images in response to detecting that the subject is onor in the vicinity of the toilet, and/or that the subject has defecatedand/or urinated into the toilet bowl, as described hereinabove. For someapplications, during the acquisitions of images by camera(s) 60, 62, 64,and/or 66, bursts of images are acquired at given time intervals. Forexample, a burst may be acquired once every 3 seconds, every 5 second,or every 10 seconds. Each burst of images typically contains between 1and 8 images, e.g., between 3 and 5 images. Typically, all of the imagesthat are acquired of a given emission are acquired within a total timethat is less than 20 seconds, such that there is no substantial movementof the bodily emission between the acquisitions of respective imageswithin each burst. For some applications, the maximum exposure time perimage frame is typically 10 ms. Alternatively, the exposure time perimage frame may be more than 10 ms, e.g., more than 35 ms.

The apparatus and methods described herein utilize the light reflectedback from erythrocytes and collected by light sensors. In someembodiments, this light can be reflected from the ambient light sourceand in other embodiments a light source is an integral part of thesystem. In some embodiments, such a light source can be an LED of one orseveral wavelengths, or a broadband light source with a bandpass filter.As described hereinabove, erythrocytes have a distinct spectralsignature, which is reflected from the tested medium and can be detectedby light sensors, the signature being referred to herein as the bloodsignature.

For some applications, the sensor module detects a presence of blood inthe bodily emission in response to detecting that the value returned bya mathematical function on the absorption of two or more wavelengths orweighted functions of wavelengths return a certain value. As describedhereinabove, for some applications, the sensor module transmits theoutput of the light sensors to user interface device 32 (FIG. 1) andsoftware that is run by a computer processor on the device performs theanalysis.

In general, apparatus 20 typically includes illumination source(s)(i.e., light source(s)) for irradiating biological fluids that areexcreted from patient and pass in the toilet bowl water. For someapplications, radiation (e.g., radiation in the visible light range) isemitted at various wavelengths of interest, to evaluate the opticalsignature of the specimen. A light detector is positioned with respectto the light source(s) on the opposite side, the same side, or anywhereelse in the toilet bowl. For example, the light detectors may face thelight source(s) such as to detect light from the light source(s) thatpasses through the bodily emission, or through water that is in contactwith the emission. It is noted that although some applications of thepresent invention relate to using the detection of radiation in thevisible light range to perform the techniques described herein, thescope of the present invention includes using radiation at any spectralband to perform techniques described here, mutatis mutandis.

For some applications, a white light broadband illumination source isused (e.g., white light source 68), and the light detector may compriseat least two light detectors (e.g., two or more of cameras 60, 62, 64,and 66). Each light detector may comprise a different filter forcollecting light at a different wavelength, after passing through thebiological fluids. The filters may be narrow band filters, interferencefilters, absorbing filters, or diffractive optical element (DOE)filters.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which is a graph showing spectrogramsthat were recorded from stool samples, in accordance with someapplications of the present invention. A raw human stool sample and ahuman stool sample into which 0.2 ml of blood had been injected wereplaced inside a glass container (with dimensions 86×86×90 mm) thatcontained tap water to a height of about 70 mm (˜500 cc of water). WhiteLED light in the range of 400-700 nm and an intensity of approximately220 lumens was directed into the container, and spectrograms of thelight that was reflected from the container were acquired using astandard spectrometer.

The thicker curve is the spectrogram that was obtained from the rawstool sample, and the thinner curve is the spectrogram that was obtainedfrom the stool with blood. As may be observed, in the enlarged portionof the graph, the spectrogram that was obtained from the sample thatincludes blood includes a characteristic trough-peak-trough shape atapproximately 540 nm (trough), 565 nm (peak) and 575 nm (trough). Thischaracteristic shape is an example of a blood signature, the shape beingindicative of the presence of blood. Specifically, this shape indicateslight absorption by oxyhemoglobin, which is present in erythrocytes inthe blood.

The above results indicate that a blood signature can be detected withina stool sample under certain conditions. Furthermore, the above resultswere obtained by using a spectrogram which analyzes the overall spectralprofile of the sample. If analyzing the sample on a pixel-by-pixelbasis, as is the case in certain applications of the present invention,the blood signature can be expected to be detected with greatersensitivity and specificity.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which is a bar-chart showing ratios ofspectral components that were recorded from respective samples, duringan experiment conducted in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention. Using the technique described above with respect toFIG. 4, the spectrograms of a plurality of sample were analyzed. Thesample included:

1. Fresh beet.

2. Raw fresh meat.

3. A fecal sample that did not contain blood.

4. A second fecal sample that did not contain blood.

5. A mixture of rum and red food colorant.

6. A sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood, in which the samplewas not mixed.

7. A sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood, in which the samplewas mixed once by stirring with a rod.

8. A sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood, in which the samplewas mixed twice by stirring with a rod.

9. A sample containing feces and 5 drops of blood, in which the samplewas not mixed.

10. A sample containing feces and 5 drops of blood, in which the samplewas mixed twice by stirring with a rod.

The blood was obtained from a blood bank and had been preserved incitrate.

For each of the samples, the received spectrogram was analyzed bycalculating two ratios. Ratio 1 was the ratio of the intensity of a 10nm band centered around 565 nm, to the intensity of a 10 nm bandcentered around 575 nm (I(565)I(575)). Ratio 2 was the ratio of theintensity of a 10 nm band centered around 565 nm, to the intensity of a10 nm band centered around 540 nm (I(565)/I(540)). For the purpose ofthe experiment, thresholds were set at 1.05 for ratio 1 and 0.8 forratio 2, such that if ratio 1 would exceed 1.05 and ratio 2 would exceed0.8, this would be an indication that the sample contains blood. This isbecause a sample that contains blood would be expected to have a bloodsignature with a characteristic trough-peak-trough shape atapproximately 540 nm (trough), 565 nm (peak) and 575 nm (trough),whereas for a sample that does not contain blood, the slope of thespectrogram could be expected to increase between 540 nm and 575 nm, asshown in the thick curve of FIG. 4. The results are indicated in thebar-chart shown in FIG. 5 and are summarized in the table below:

Both ratios indicate that sample contains Sample Contained human bloodblood 1 No No 2 No (but contained animal Yes erythrocytes) 3 No No 4 NoNo 5 No No 6 Yes No 7 Yes Yes 8 Yes Yes 9 Yes Yes 10 Yes Yes

As may be observed based on FIG. 5 and the above table, in general usingthe above-described ratios and thresholds, blood was detected in fecesin four out of five cases. Using the above-described ratios andthresholds, in general, blood was not detected in cases in which bloodhad not been present in the sample, except for the meat sample (sample2), which is discussed below. These results indicate that blood can bedetected in a bodily emission by spectrally analyzing the emission,using techniques as described herein. Therefore, for some applicationsof the present invention, spectral bands that are centered around awavelength that is in the range of 530 nm to 785 nm are detected.Typically, two or more spectral bands are detected that are centeredaround approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm. The widths of thespectral bands are typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm,or greater than 8 nm), and/or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm, orless than 12 nm), e.g., between 3 and 40 nm, between 5 and 20 nm, orbetween 8 and 12 nm. For some applications, one or more ratios of theintensities of the aforementioned spectral bands with respect to oneanother are determined. For example, the ratio of the intensity of thespectral band that is centered around approximately 565 nm to that ofthe band centered around approximately 575 nm (or vice versa) may bedetermined, and/or the ratio of the intensity of the spectral band thatis centered around approximately 565 nm to that of the band centeredaround approximately 540 nm (or vice versa) may be determined. For someapplications, a different relationship between the intensities of theaforementioned spectral bands with respect to one another is determined.For some applications, a relationship between a parameter of therespective spectral bands other than intensity is determined.

It is noted that the results shown in FIG. 5 and summarized in the abovetable reflect a portion of the samples that were analyzed. In general,there were no false positives, except for when the meat sample wasanalyzed. This is to be expected, since raw fresh meat has residues ofanimal blood, which dissolves in the water. In accordance with someapplications of the present invention, such false positives are reducedby asking the subject questions, such as whether the subject ate redmeat within a given times interval of defecating, as describedhereinabove.

False negatives were found when blood was injected into solid feces anddid not reach the water (which was the case in sample 6). In accordancewith some applications of the present invention, such false negativesare reduced by mixing, vibrating, and/or agitating feces inside thetoilet bowl, in accordance with techniques described herein. It is notedthat in the experiment, blood was mixed with the stool when the stoolwas disposed inside the glass container. Typically, when a persondefecates into a toilet bowl, the feces is agitated by virtue of thefeces falling into and impacting the toilet bowl. Therefore, for someapplications of the present invention, no active agitation is providedto the feces disposed in the toilet bowl. In addition, there were falsenegatives (not shown in FIG. 5) in cases in which blood with beet wasused as the sample. For some applications of the present invention, suchfalse negatives are reduced by using greater light intensity than wasused in the above-described experiment. It is further noted that since,in accordance with some applications, the analysis of bodily emissionsis performed over a period of time, if hidden blood is missed in someemissions, it is likely to be detected in others.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which is a graph showing the results ofa simulation that was performed, in accordance with some applications ofthe present invention. Spectrograms of (a) feces and (b) five drops ofblood obtained in an experiment as described hereinabove were used. Thespectrogram of the five drops of blood was divided by five, to simulatethe spectrogram of one drop, and to improve signal-to-noise ratiorelative the spectrogram of a single drop of blood being used. Asimulation was performed in order to artificially mix the spectra, suchas to produce the effect of feces mixed with respective amount of blood.The above-described first and second ratios were then calculated forincreasing bandwidths of spectral filter. FIG. 6 is a plot showing theminimum number of drops that was detectable for each bandwidth. It maybe observed that up until a bandwidth of 20 nm, two drops of blood weredetectable, whereas for bandwidths of 30 nm and more, a minimum of threedrops of blood were required in order for the blood to be detectable.Therefore, for some applications of the present invention, two or morespectral bands are detected that are centered around approximately 540nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm, and the widths of the spectral bands aretypically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm, or greater than 8nm), and/or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm, or less than 12 nm),e.g., between 3 and 40 nm, between 5 and 20 nm, or between 8 and 12 nm.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which is a flowchart showing steps of aprocedure that is performed, in accordance with some applications of thepresent invention.

In a first step (step 80), sensor module 22 (e.g., subject sensor 40 ofthe sensor module) detects a presence of the subject in a vicinity of oron the toilet, and/or detects that a bodily emission has been emittedinto the toilet, as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2. Inresponse thereto, imaging component 24 of the sensor module receiveslight from the toilet bowl, typically by acquiring images using one ormore cameras (e.g., one or more multispectral cameras, or one or morehyperspectral cameras) (step 82). As noted hereinabove, the scope of thepresent invention includes receiving radiation at any spectral band, andis not limited to receiving radiation in the visible light range.

The received light is analyzed (e.g. spectrally analyzed) by a computerprocessor, which may be computer processor 44 of the sensor module, or adifferent computer processor, as described hereinabove. Typically,spectral bands are detected that centered around a wavelength that is inthe range of 530 nm to 785 nm. Further typically, blood-signaturespectral components are detected (step 84). For example, one or morespectral components within the received light that are indicative oflight absorption by a component of erythrocytes (e.g., oxyhemoglobin)may be detected. As described hereinabove, for some applications of thepresent invention, two or more spectral bands are detected that arecentered around approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm. (As notedhereinabove, a spectral band that is described herein as being centeredaround approximately a given spectral value should be interpreted asincluding a spectral band centered around the given value plus/minus 5nm.) For some applications, the detected spectral components areanalyzed by calculating ratios of the intensities of respectivecomponents with respect to one another (step 86), for example, asdescribed hereinabove. Alternatively or additionally, the spectralcomponents may be analyzed in a different manner (Step 86 is inside adashed box to indicate that the specific step of calculating ratios isoptional.) In response to the spectral analysis, the computer processordetects blood (step 88) and generates an output (step 90), for example,on user interface device 32.

The scope of the present invention includes detecting any spectralcomponents that are indicative of light absorption by a component oferythrocytes, for example spectral components that are indicative ofhemoglobin methemoglobin, and/or heme. For some application spectralcomponents that are indicative of light absorption of urine and/or fecesare detected. For some applications, the computer processor determineswhether there is feces and/or urine together with blood, in order toconfirm that detected blood is blood that is associated with fecesand/or urine and is not from a different source. In addition, the scopeof the present invention includes determining any type of relationshipbetween parameters (e.g., intensities) of respective spectral bandswithin the received light and is not limited to determining ratiosbetween the parameters (e.g., intensities) of the respective spectralbands. Furthermore, even for applications in which ratios 1 and 2 asdescribed hereinabove are calculated, the thresholds that are describedas having been used are illustrative, and the scope of the presentinvention includes using different thresholds to those describedhereinabove. For example, for applications in which calibrated lightsensors are used, a threshold of more than 1 and/or less than 1.5 (e.g.,between 1 and 1.5) may be used for ratio 1 (i.e., I(565)/I(575)), and athreshold of more than 0.7 and/or less than 1 (e.g., between 0.7 and 1)may be used for ratio 2 (i.e., I(565)/I(540)). For applications in whichthe light sensors are uncalibrated, the ratios may be different.

It is noted that, at this stage, the output may indicate a suspicion ofthe subject's blood being in the bodily emission. For some applications,in order to confirm the suspicion, the user is requested to provide aninput by the user being asked confirmatory questions (the answers towhich are typically indicative of the source of the detected blood), asdescribed hereinabove. The computer processor receives the input fromthe subject regarding the confirmatory questions (step 92). If the inputfrom the user indicates that the detection of blood was not a falsepositive (that may have been caused, for example, by the subject havingeaten red meat), then the computer processor logs that a blood event hasoccurred (step 94). For example, the computer processor may log theevent on memory 46 of the sensor module. For some applications, theblood event is logged even without receiving an input from the user(step 92). For example, the computer processor may account for falsepositives in a different manner, such as by incorporating a likelihoodof false positives into a threshold that is used to monitor blood eventsover a long term period. (Step 92 is inside a dashed box to indicatethat this step is optional.)

Typically, steps 80-90 of FIG. 7 (the steps inside the large dashed box)are performed without requiring any action by the subject or any otherperson, subsequent to the subject emitting a bodily emission into thetoilet bowl.

Applications of the invention described herein can take the form of acomputer program product accessible from a computer-usable orcomputer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readablemedium) providing program code for use by or in connection with acomputer or any instruction execution system, such as computer processor44, or a computer processor of user interface device 32. For the purposeof this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium canbe any apparatus that can comprise, store, communicate, propagate, ortransport the program for use by or in connection with the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. The medium can be an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system(or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Typically, thecomputer-usable or computer readable medium is a non-transitorycomputer-usable or computer readable medium.

Examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solidstate memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk andan optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compactdisk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) andDVD. For some applications, cloud storage is used.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing programcode will include at least one processor (e.g., computer processor 44,or a computer processor of user interface device 32) coupled directly orindirectly to memory elements (e.g., memory 46, or a memory of userinterface device 32) through a system bus. The memory elements caninclude local memory employed during actual execution of the programcode, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storageof at least some program code in order to reduce the number of timescode must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. The systemcan read the inventive instructions on the program storage devices andfollow these instructions to execute the methodology of the embodimentsof the invention.

Network adapters may be coupled to the processor to enable the processorto become coupled to other processors or remote printers or storagedevices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cablemodem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available typesof network adapters.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the C programming language or similar programminglanguages.

It will be understood that blocks of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 andcombinations of blocks in the flowchart, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer (e.g., computer processor 44, or a computer processor ofuser interface device 32) or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or algorithms described in the present application.These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readablemedium) that can direct a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means which implement the function/act specifiedin the flowchart blocks and algorithms. The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to beperformed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/oralgorithms described in the present application.

Computer processor 44 and the other computer processors described hereinare typically hardware devices programmed with computer programinstructions to produce a special purpose computer. For example, whenprogrammed to perform the algorithms described with reference to FIG. 7,the computer processor typically acts as a special purposebodily-emission-analysis computer processor. Typically, the operationsdescribed herein that are performed by computer processors transform thephysical state of a memory, which is a real physical article, to have adifferent magnetic polarity, electrical charge, or the like depending onthe technology of the memory that is used.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. Rather, the scope of the present inventionincludes both combinations and subcombinations of the various featuresdescribed hereinabove, as well as variations and modifications thereofthat are not in the prior art, which would occur to persons skilled inthe art upon reading the foregoing description.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for use with a bodily emission ofa subject that is disposed within a toilet bowl, the method comprising:while the bodily emission is disposed within the toilet bowl, receivinglight from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors; using acomputer processor: determining intensities of three or more spectralbands within the received light that are indicative of light absorptionby a component of erythrocytes, by analyzing the received light;determining two or more intensity ratios, each of the intensity ratiosbeing a ratio between the intensities of respective pairs of the threeor more spectral bands; in response thereto, determining that there is apresence of blood within the bodily emission; and generating an outputon an output device, at least partially in response thereto.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the bodily emission includes feces,and wherein determining that there is a presence of blood within thebodily emission comprises determining that there is a presence of bloodwithin the feces.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bodilyemission includes urine, and wherein determining that there is apresence of blood within the bodily emission comprises determining thatthere is a presence of blood within the urine.
 4. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein receiving light from the toilet bowl using one ormore light sensors comprises receiving one or more images from thetoilet bowl using one or more cameras, and wherein analyzing thereceived light comprises analyzing a plurality of respective pixelswithin the one or more images on an individual basis.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein receiving light from the toilet bowl usingone or more light sensors comprises, subsequent to the subject emittingthe bodily emission into the toilet bowl, while the bodily emission isat least partially disposed within water of the toilet bowl, receivingthe light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors, withoutrequiring any action to be performed by any person subsequent to theemission.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein determiningintensities of three or more spectral bands within the received lightthat are indicative of light absorption by a component of erythrocytescomprises determining intensities of three or more spectral bands withinthe received light that are within a range of 530 nm to 785 nm.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6, wherein determining intensities of three ormore spectral bands within the received light that are within the rangeof 530 nm to 785 nm comprises determining intensities of two or morespectral bands within the received light that are centered aroundapproximate wavelengths selected from the group consisting of: 540 nm,565 nm, and 575 nm.
 8. Apparatus for use with a bodily emission of asubject that is disposed within a toilet bowl, and an output device, theapparatus comprising: one or more light sensors that are configured toreceive light from the toilet bowl, while the bodily emission isdisposed within the toilet bowl; and a computer processor configured to:determine intensities of three or more spectral bands within thereceived light that indicate light absorption by a component oferythrocytes, by analyzing the received light; determining two or moreintensity ratios, each of the intensity ratios being a ratio between theintensities of respective pairs of the three or more spectral bands; inresponse thereto, determine that there is a presence of blood within thebodily emission; and generate an output on the output device, at leastpartially in response thereto.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 8,wherein the bodily emission includes feces, and wherein the computerprocessor is configured to determine that there is a presence of bloodwithin the bodily emission by determining that there is a presence ofblood within the feces.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 8, whereinthe bodily emission includes urine, and wherein the computer processoris configured to determine that there is a presence of blood within thebodily emission by determining that there is a presence of blood withinthe urine.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the one ormore light sensors comprise one or more cameras configured to acquireone or more images of the bodily emission, and wherein the computerprocessor is configured to analyze the received light by analyzing aplurality of respective pixels within the one or more images on anindividual basis.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,subsequent to the subject emitting the bodily emission into the toiletbowl, while the bodily emission is at least partially disposed withinwater of the toilet bowl, the one or more light sensors are configuredto receive the light from the toilet bowl, without requiring any actionto be performed by any person subsequent to the emission.
 13. Theapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the computer processor isconfigured to determine intensities of three or more spectral bandswithin the received light that are indicative of light absorption by acomponent of erythrocytes by determining intensities of three or morespectral bands within the received light that are within a range of 530nm to 785 nm.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein thecomputer processor is configured to determining intensities of three ormore spectral bands within the received light that are within the rangeof 530 nm to 785 nm by determining intensities of two or more spectralbands within the received light that are centered around approximatewavelengths selected from the group consisting of: 540 nm, 565 nm, and575 nm.